The present invention relates to a vibration absorbing reed forming process and, more specifically, to a sheet metal stamping reed forming process.
In the past, saw blades had a tendency to produce excessive noise and vibration when in use. As a result, typical saw blades now employ wave guide damping technology, which allows the saw blade to produce less noise and vibration when in use. This wave guide damping technology is accomplished by employing a series of reeds, which are partially filled with a damping material such as rubber or the like. Damping, or noise and vibration absorption, is obtained when the damping material experiences a shearing action, or oscillatory reed movement perpendicular to the cutting plane of the saw.
Reeds are not only used in saw blades, but in other sheet metal applications as well. Reeds are formed by narrow cuts in the piece of sheet metal of a particular design or pattern. Conventionally, these narrow cuts are produced by utilizing a laser. There are a variety of reed designs formed from these cuts, each with different resulting damping characteristics. The gaps formed by the laser cuts are then partially filled with damping material to perform the desired damping function. Damping efficiency is proportional to the width of the laser cut and dependent on the placement and design of the reeds. For example, the narrower the cut, the greater the shearing action of the damping material, and thus the greater the damping efficiency. However, since the reeds are cut by laser, the reed forming process is time consuming and is not suitable for low cost, high production volume sheet metal applications.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a reed forming process that is more cost-effective and less time consuming than the laser cut reed forming process, while still allowing for specific reed design and high damping efficiency.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a vibration absorbing reed forming process that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
It is a feature of the present invention that a vibration absorbing reed forming process utilizes a succession of stamping operations that is more cost-effective and less time consuming than previous reed forming methods while still providing desired damping efficiency.
The present invention advantageously provides a vibration absorbing reed forming process for a piece of sheet metal having a planar surface comprising the steps of cutting a predetermined number tabs in the piece of sheet metal with a first stamp, aligning the tabs in coplanar fashion with the planar surface with a second stamp, and forming a rib in the tabs by drawing the metal toward the centers of the tabs a predetermined distance thereby creating a gap between the tabs and the piece of sheet metal.